Jose Mourinho was back in Italy enjoying himself ahead of a Juventus vs Benfica in the Champions League.
The European treble-winning coach has already exited two cup competitions in 2026 and is on the brink of not even making the play-offs in Europe.
In Juve he faces an old rival from his time at Inter, and Luciano Spalletti who he regularly battled with in the media.
There were clues he was doing so again, when he reversed previous comments about not wanting to coach the Turin club.
“Would I accept Juve? Of course,” he said in his pre-match press conference.
“It’s a surprise to me when coaches with no history or track record get the chance to coach big teams: when Roma sign Gasperini, Milan sign Allegri, or Juve sign Luciano, it’s not a surprise to me.”
Asked about his relationship with Spalletti, he said: “It doesn’t matter, but I understand that it’s being talked about both here and in Portugal.
“Here we should only be talking about Juve-Benfica: Luciano says that Benfica is a piece of football history, I thank him. But when it comes to Juve-Benfica, Mourinho and Spalletti don’t matter.
“We have a good relationship, the digs are part of the job. I respect him a lot, I like him and that’s what matters.
“From his teams, always with strong players, you expect quality. And there is, there always is: quality football, sometimes vertical and fast, he is truly very, very good.
“I’ve often played in this stadium, it’s clear that being here with Inter here is different and that’s where this ‘love’ comes from. I’ve played against them at the Olimpico, but this stadium is modern, with a very heated atmosphere. But we know what it means to play for a great team, my players know it.”
Then when asked about Portuguese teams struggling in Europe, he added: “Aside from the English, the Spanish, Bayern, and PSG, who has won the Champions League in recent years? Porto. And Inter. And who coached them? “
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